Following significant losses in the local government elections, the African National Congress faces being sidelined across multiple Eastern Cape councils as opposition parties explore coalition agreements.
Independent candidate Bhekizenzo Gigi has won a second term as Ward 14 councillor in the Kumkani Mhlontlo municipality after defeating 10 rival candidates in Qumbu.
The ANC has lost Ward 19 in Qunu, Nelson Mandela’s childhood home and burial site, to the African Transformation Movement after failing to register a candidate in the local elections.
The United Democratic Movement has threatened to take the Electoral Commission to court after objections over alleged voting and counting irregularities in Buffalo City were dismissed.
Vote counting at the Mzamomhle Community Hall in Buffalo City Metro was relocated to the local Electoral Commission of SA office following disputes and delays over mismatched ballot papers.
An ANC ward councillor candidate in Buffalo City Metro faces an assault charge after allegedly head-butting a DA member near an Amalinda East voting station during a heated altercation.
At least 16 Electoral Commission of South Africa officials in the Eastern Cape have been dismissed and face criminal charges following separate incidents of ballot mishandling and missing votes.
The ANC has lost its outright majority in seven Eastern Cape municipalities, with early results showing Buffalo City Metro could also head into a coalition.
The DA has criticised the Eastern Cape government over neglected community roads after poor conditions hindered IEC officials during special voting across the province.
Shortly after casting their ballots at dawn in the Eastern Cape, elderly Nqadu villagers returned to collecting drinking water from a stream shared with animals, highlighting decades of persistent service delivery failures.
More than 1.4 million Eastern Cape voters turned out for the local government elections despite severe infrastructure challenges, disrupted voting stations, and ongoing service delivery frustrations across rural communities.
The DA has won the first declared result of the 2026 local government elections, securing an early lead at a small voting station in the Eastern Cape's Blue Crane Route municipality.
Five women have been arrested in the Eastern Cape for alleged electoral offences during the local government elections, including voter impersonation and attempted theft of ballots.
Millions of South Africans take to the polls today for the 2026 local government elections, testing voter turnout against growing apathy as councils face the ultimate test of service delivery.
Over 431,000 citizens in the Eastern Cape cast their votes by mid-morning on Wednesday. Despite minor weather and protest disruptions, the IEC reports steady operations across the province.
